Saturday, January 24, 2009

Out of Africa is not just a multi-Academy Award winning film, it's also the name of a shea butter based product line created by Victor Lulla. The products feature high percentages of unrefined, pure shea butter and no chemical, additives, sulfates and parabens.

One of the products I tried was the Tea Tree Shea Butter hand wash. Between putting in and taking out my contact lenses, testing my blood sugar, etc., I wash my hands a lot. The Out of Africa hand wash cleans without drying out my hands--and the tea tree oil acts as a natural anti-bacterial. You can also get the hand wash infused with Lemon or Lavendar essential oils--but for hand washing germophobes everywhere, the tea tree is a great alternative to those chemical filled anti-bacterial soaps.

I also got to test drive the Shea Butter Body Oil in Lavender. In addition to pure, unrefined shea butter, the body oil contains avocado and olive oil. It's a great moisturizer when applied to damp skin after a shower. It left my skin moisturized but not at all greasy! I also like rubbing a bit into my palms and using it to smooth down flyaway hair. The lavender is a nice calming and soothing scent--but the oils also come in grapefruit, verbena and as well as an unscented version.The Out of Africa product line also features body butters, bar soaps and body washes. And 3% of all sales are contributed to School for Children Unite--a groundbreaking project helping to provide education to children in West Africa. In addition, the products are handmade bu women's co-operatives in Benin--which creates jobs and economic stability in one of the poorest nations in Africa.

So you've got a good cause that's also good for your skin. Out of Africa--coming soon to bathroom near you!